Carry On My Wayward Son
by OfCabbages'N'Kings
Summary: "Carry on my wayward son. There'll be peace when you are done."
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1—Apple Pie

_So bye-bye Miss American Pie_

_Drove my Chevy to the levy, but the levy was dry_

_And them good ol' boys was drinking whiskey and rye_

_Singin' "This'll be the day that I die."_

"_This'll be the day that I die."_

-_American Pie_ by Don McClean

Dean Winchester drew in a deep breath and knocked on the door. He stood on the porch, unsure of what he was going to say, or do. He couldn't really think right now, mainly because if he stopped for one minute, he would collapse. He looked up when he heard a click and the door opened. His heart beat faster when Lisa stood in front of him.

"Dean," she whispered. He felt his carefully built barriers begin to buckle.

"It's over," he whispered back and he tripped forward into Lisa. Her arms circled around him and held him close. Dean's own arms somehow found themselves wrapped around her as well.

Lisa felt something weighing Dean down, but she was unsure of exactly what it was. It was heavy, whatever it was, and she could feel Dean sagging beneath the weight of it.

"It's okay," she said into his ear. "It's all gonna be okay." She could feel Dean start to shake. They stood on the porch for what seemed like hours until Dean pulled away.

"I was wondering," he said in a slightly muted voice. "I was wondering if you still had that beer."

Lisa grinned. "Yeah, it's nice in cold. Would you like come inside?" Dean tried to smile back, but he couldn't get his face to do that.

"Yeah, that'd be great," he replied. She stood back and Dean walked inside. Lisa shut the door and turned around to find Dean frozen in the hallway.

"What?" she asked worriedly. She hurried around him and stood in front of him. Dean was staring down at a picture frame in his hands.

"You framed this?" he whispered. Lisa looked down at the upside down picture. It was a picture of the three of them, Lisa, Dean, and Ben. It had been taken by Sam right before Dean and Sam had left.

"Yeah, I, um, did. Why? Is there some problem or something?" she asked concerned. She slid the picture out of Dean's hands. He looked at her.

"No, it's just, I've never been framed like that before," he said with a hint of sarcasm. Lisa's mouth twitched.

"Come on, that beer's just getting colder," she said with her own hint of sarcasm. She tugged at his hand and he allowed her to lead him down to the kitchen. She indicated a stool at the island in the middle of the kitchen, then crossed the room to the fridge. Dean pulled off his worn leather jacket and set it on the stool next to him. Lisa slid a beer across the island to him.

"Thanks," he said and he took a long draught from the bottle. Lisa watched him, resting her head on her hands.

"Where's Ben?" Dean asked. The bottle clinked on the island's marble top.

"He's staying with some friends tonight," replied Lisa. She rolled her own bottle between her hands. "So, what are you planning to do now?"

"Um," Dean ran a hand through his hair. "I was thinking of finding a motel somewhere near here, and possibly hoping I could spend some time with you."

"That's sweet," she said smiling.

"Actually, I was hoping to try this 'date' thing. You know, I've never actually done things like that." He blushed.

"So, you're asking me out on a date?" Lisa couldn't hide her grin. Dean blushed deeper.

"Yeah, I guess I am." Dean kept his gaze fixated on the marble counter top.

"I accept," said Lisa.

"Great." Dean took a long swig from his beer.

"Awkwardness aside, I was wondering something." It was Lisa's turn to stare at the counter top and roll the bottle between her hands.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Sam? I know you two travel together, and I was just wondering if…" Lisa looked up then, and she saw Dean trying to control his facial expressions. Pain flashed deep within his green eyes, and Lisa found herself hurrying around the island to him.

"Dean, what happened? Is Sam…is he…" she trailed off, touching Dean's arm lightly. The bottle was now clenched in his hands and he was taking deep breaths to steady himself. He looked up at the ceiling and let out a shaky breath.

"He's…he's not dead, I don't think." Lisa rubbed Dean's arm and listened quietly. Dean suddenly grabbed Lisa and pulled in front of him.

"Dean, what are you…" Dean interrupted her with a kiss. Lisa melted into him. It had been too long since she last held Dean in her arms. The last time she kissed him, it had been a fruitless attempt to keep him with her. But the last time, she hadn't felt all his sadness, all his pain, his regret. It washed over her now, colliding with her own rolling emotions.

Dean picked up Lisa and she clung herself closer to him, wrapping her legs around his waist. He carried her to her bedroom, where he promptly laid her down on her bed. Lisa pushed up on his shirt and restlessly yanked hers off. Dean obliged, pulling off his shirt and helping her with hers. Dean lowered himself onto Lisa and drank in Lisa. The touch of her warm skin unfroze Dean a little and he pulled her closer to him.

"Your hands are cold, Dean," she said, pulling away from him for a minute. She looked into his eyes, her hand tracing Dean's firm arm. She frowned and sat up, her hand paused on Dean's upper arm.

"What's this?" Lisa traced the outline of Castiel's handprint on his arm. Dean covered her hand and lifted it slowly to his lips. He placed a soft kiss on it and lowered it back down, away from his arm.

"You have so many secrets, Dean," said Lisa. "More than when I first met you. Please, tell me. I can feel that weight on your shoulders. Let me share it with you!" Dean looked away from Lisa and pushed himself away from her. Confused, Lisa placed a hand lightly on Dean's shoulder, and she felt the shaking of his entire frame.

"Dean," she whispered. She pulled him closer to her and held him tight as sobs shook Dean's body. She didn't know how long she held him, but she knew that they had fallen asleep because she suddenly jolted awake when a voice called, "Mom?"

Glancing at the still sleeping Dean, Lisa eased herself out of bed slowly and retrieved her shirt from the floor. Smoothing it out, Lisa left her room quietly, glancing back at the last minute at the still sleeping Dean. Smiling, Lisa shut the door slowly and descended the stairs carefully.

"Mom?" called Ben again.

"I'm right here," whispered Lisa. She cleared her throat and repeated a little louder, "I'm right here, honey."

"Oh, there you are," said Ben. "It was a little weird that you were still asleep this late."

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Almost ten," said Ben, frowning. "Did you sleep in those clothes?"

"Um, yes, I did," Lisa fervently smoothed her shirt again. "Did you have a nice time at John's?"

"Yeah, but his parents are sure acting strange," said Ben, stowing his duffel bag in the cupboard under the stairs.

"What were they doing?" asked Lisa distractedly. She kept glancing up the stairs.

"Are you okay, Mom?" asked Ben.

"Oh! Yeah, I'm fine. Ben, honey, do you have any plans for today?" Lisa went into the kitchen and began making coffee.

"Uh, no. Mom, today is Sunday. We usually go on a bike ride today and have a picnic in the park by the lake and go swimming, if there's time." Ben frowned again. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm quite well," snapped Lisa. The doorbell rang shrilly through the house and Lisa rushed to the front door.

"Mom, wait!" called Ben, but he was too late. Lisa had already opened the door and wished she had just ignored the doorbell.

"Hello, Ms. Braedon!" greeted Joseph Tanner with a large smile. His pink pastel golf shirt made Lisa want to puke.

"Mr. Tanner," Lisa pulled her own face into a strained grin. "How nice to see you."

"The pleasure is all mine," he took her hand, the same one Dean had kissed, and placed a wet smack on it. Lisa repressed a shudder. "I was hoping that you and young Ben would join me today for a little picnic at the country club."

"Ben and I already have plans," said Lisa brightly in a mocking tone. "Thanks for the offer anyway. Buh-bye." Lisa tried to shut the door, but was stopped when Mr. Tanner put an arm out.

"You will not refuse me, Lisa. You cannot. I have sought you out for these past six months, not in an attempt to befriend you. I intend to propose today and you will say yes," he growled.

"What makes you say that?" asked Lisa with a venomous glare.

"A young boy like Ben does not need to grow up without a father, despite the fact that he was procreated in a biker bar!" hissed Mr. Tanner. Lisa opened her mouth to rebuke when she heard Dean's voice behind her.

"It was not in a biker bar, I hate those places," said Dean. He pushed the door open with such ease that Mr. Tanner nearly fell over. Dean stood behind Lisa with one arm around her waist. Lisa watched as Mr. Tanner's eyes took in Dean and his face started changing colors.

"It doesn't matter!" snapped Mr. Tanner. "It was still outside the lines of holy matrimony, thus making Ben a bastard son!"

"Of me, which I could care less about." Dean eased Lisa behind him. "I'm here to fulfill my duty as Ben's father. So leave now and I won't ruin that lovely gay shirt of yours."

Mr. Tanner grabbed Dean's shirt and pulled him closer.

"Lisa is the only good looking woman around here. I could care less if you were her pimp, _she is mine!_" he growled in Dean's face. There was a click and Mr. Tanner felt something cold against his stomach.

"I do care, and if you don't get out of my face and leave Ms. Braedon alone, your guts are gonna be splattered all over this front porch. People disappear, Mr. Tanner. It happens all the time. So you leave Lisa alone, or you are going to disappear. _Do you understand me?_" It was the first time Dean had actually threatened someone in a long time.

Mr. Tanner paled and nodded slowly.

"Get out of here," growled Dean. He threw Mr. Tanner sprawling on his backside of the porch. He shut the door with a sharp snap and turned the locks.

"Dean," said Lisa. Dean turned around. Lisa's eyes slid down to the pearl handled hand-gun in his hand. She heard Ben gasp behind her and her own eyes widened at the sight.

"You weren't actually going to use that, were you?" asked Lisa, backing away unconsciously.

"It's not even loaded," said Dean. He reached into his back pocket. "Here's the clip." He held up the clip and slid it smoothly into the gun. Tucking the gun back away, his gaze fell upon Ben.

"Oh, um, hi," said Dean awkwardly. Lisa whipped around and saw Ben was frowning at Dean.

"What are you doing here?" he asked defensively.

"Well, that's a lot nicer of a greeting than what I was expecting." Dean tried to smile, but his face would not comply. "I know you're not exactly happy to see me, and I'll leave, if that's what you want."

"Leave? Yeah, you always do," replied Ben coldly.

"But," he continued. "Me not being happy to see you?" Ben rushed forward past his mom and threw his arms around Dean, embracing him. Startled, Dean returned the gesture, hugging Ben tightly. Lisa smiled, and she caught Dean's eyes. They were filled with tears ready to roll down his cheeks, and one escaped, coming to rest on the back of Ben's shirt.

"Don't go," whispered Ben into Dean's t-shirt.

"I'm not going anywhere," said Dean. "I won't be, for a long time."

"Ben," choked Lisa. Ben released Dean for a minute to pull Lisa into their hug and the three-some stood in the hallway for a long time.

"Okay," said Lisa, sniffing. She wiped at her eyes and brushed away her tears. "I think it's time to eat something." She led the way to the kitchen and winced inwardly when she beheld the two empty beer bottles still sitting on the island. She glanced swiftly at Ben, whose face was stoic.

"I'll get these," said Dean. He removed the two bottles and they fell, clinking, into the trash can. The three of them made dinner together and Lisa shooed the two boys out later to set the table.

Later, while they were eating dinner, unknown to any of them, a street lamp flickered and went out across the street from Lisa's house. Someone stood underneath the dark lamp and he watched the scene in the dining room with a mixture of sadness and happiness on his face. His eyes roved over Lisa and Ben, but stayed on Dean longer than any of them. A sad smile appeared as he studied Dean.

Suddenly, the facial expressions on his face changed. The sad smile morphed into a smirk and an evil glint appeared in his eyes. He flickered roughly and disappeared with the sound of fluttering wings.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2—Aint No Rest

_There aint no rest for the wicked_

_Until we close our eyes for good._

-_Ain't No Rest for the Wicked_, by Cage the Elephant

The next day, Dean got up before either Lisa or Ben and left in the Impala. He came back in an old Ford pick-up truck. Lisa did not ask him what he did with his car, but it nagged her for a long time. She never asked him about the large crack in the windshield, or the dent in the back door. She didn't ask about the dried blood she found on the clothes that had been balled up and thrown in the trunk. For some reason, her tongue froze every time she wanted to bring up these questions. Somehow, everything tied into the disappearance of Sam. From what Lisa remembered of him, Sam was never far from Dean, but this time Sam was nowhere to be seen.

A few weeks passed and these questions got pushed back into the shadowy recesses of Lisa's mind. She watched Dean throw a ball around with Ben and help him with his homework. Ben adored Dean. Whatever Dean told him to do; he did it, whether it was homework or bedtime. Dean changed as well. It was only at night that Lisa became aware of what Dean was thinking. He mumbled in his sleep and he mentioned Sam a couple of times. He jerked and one time he cried out to Sam, telling him not to jump into the cage. Lisa had to shake him hard to wake him up before he could wake Ben. But, as time went by, Dean's nightmares became less recurring.

A few weeks turned into a few months, and soon a year went by. Ben turned thirteen, and instead of going out with friends, he, Dean, and Lisa had a picnic in the park, ending with Dean dunking Ben in the river. The two boys tussled out in the water, then came back for Lisa. She protested with a nervous shriek when Dean, dripping wet, snatched her up from her resting place. Laughing, all three had gone home soaking wet, but with smiles on their faces.

With all the time that had gone by, Dean began to realize that he was healing. It was the little things like waking up in the morning without a huge weight on his chest that were the subtle hints that supported this fact. He found he could smile now, even laugh. Dean didn't deny that he was still wounded, but at least he kept fighting. Because that's what _he_ would have wanted. Dean knew he would never be able to say _his_ name again. Not after experiencing Hell himself. Letting him jump into Hell had gone against everything that had been drilled into Dean's head ever since their mother had died.

_Take care of …_

_ Watch out for…_

_ You're the big brother; it's your job to keep him safe, keep him alive._

Dean would never forgive himself for letting him go. Losing him was the hardest thing that Dean had ever done.

"Come on. Come on. Come on!" Lisa jumped up and down like a soccer mom. Dean smiled from his seat as he watched Lisa bounce.

"I don't think this game will move faster if you jump up and down," chuckled Dean. He caught Lisa mid bounce and pulled her down next to him.

"Dean," giggled Lisa. A great cheer arose and Lisa looked up.

"We won!" she cheered, bouncing out of Dean's arms and jumping up and down again while clapping her hands.

"Go team!" said Dean. Lisa laughed and playfully swatted Dean.

"Come on," she said, tugging at his arm. Dean allowed Lisa to pull him down to the dugout.

"Ben!" she called. Ben ran up and hugged his mom and then hugged Dean.

"Are we going somewhere?" asked Ben, looking up at Dean.

"I thought you wanted to celebrate with your friends," said Dean.

"Yeah, but I'd much rather stay with you," replied Ben.

"Alright, I say we go to the park and give your mom another dunking," chuckled Dean.

"YEAH!" Ben did a fist pump in the air and ran to get his bag.

"You're not actually going to dunk me, are you?" asked Lisa, taking Dean's hand in hers.

"Well, I can't break my promise," replied Dean, leaning down to place a kiss on the top of Lisa's head. "Besides, you look better when you're soaking wet."

"Dean!" Lisa blushed deep. Ben came running back.

"Let's go!" he exclaimed, sprinting for Dean's truck. Laughing, Dean and Lisa followed him. Dean let go of Lisa's hand to walk to the other side of the truck. As he pulled his keys out, he glanced up for a second and saw Mr. Tanner staring him down. Dean froze, his keys dangling half-way out of his pocket. Mr. Tanner grinned evilly and blinked once; his eyes went black. Dean stiffened and something awoke inside him making his heart pump faster and causing every sense to sharpen. Adrenaline, long dormant in his system, suddenly raged through it like a wildfire. Part of Dean wanted to walk across the street and confront the demon, but another part, a more dominant part now, kept him in place.

"Dean?" Dean was pulled from his adrenaline hazed daze by Lisa's voice. "You okay?"

"Yeah," replied Dean distractedly. He threw the truck into gear and sped out of the parking lot. It wasn't long until they were at the house. Ben got his bag and raced inside, calling over his shoulder, "I'll get changed!"

Lisa stopped Dean, who was glancing around himself.

"Dean, what is it?" asked Lisa.

"Nothing," answered Dean.

"Dean!" Lisa hissed. Dean stopped looking around to look at her.

"Lisa, I'm fine," said Dean. Lisa stopped him from walking away.

"You're hunting something, aren't you?" she asked. "Dean, look at me!"

"Lisa," Dean shook his head.

"Just tell me." Lisa's voice suddenly became weary. "Dean, you don't have to hide these things from me."

"I saw…I think I saw a demon," Dean finally said. Lisa nodded.

"Are you leaving?" she finally whispered.

"No." Dean pulled Lisa to him. "No, I'm not going anywhere. Just…just take Ben somewhere for awhile and I'll do a check and when you come back, I'll still be here and everything will be just fine."

Lisa nodded, fighting back tears. She embraced Dean, squeezing him hard.

"Just tell me if you're leaving," she whispered into his chest. "I just need to know."

"I'm not going anywhere," said Dean. "I'll never leave you again."

"Hey Mom, Dean, are we leaving?" Ben reemerged from the house.

"I just got a call from my superiors," said Dean, releasing Lisa. "I have to meet up with them at the new site."

"Bu…" sputtered Ben. "But, we're supposed to…"

"Hey, I know, but they sign my paycheck, so I have to do what they say," said Dean. He touched Ben's shoulder. "We'll do something together as soon as this is done, okay?" Ben nodded and gave Dean a hug. Dean hugged him back.

"Go with your mom," said Dean. "Celebrate your win with her and I'll think about how much fun you're having and plan a little 'revenge'." Ben grinned up at Dean and nodded. "Go get 'em!"

Lisa gave Dean one last sad smile and ushered Ben into her car. Dean waved as they pulled out from the driveway. As soon as they were out of sight, Dean rushed inside and locked the doors, feeling a bit foolish as he turned the now flimsy locks. He went into the hallway and opened up the closet there. Inside the closet were large bags of salt, jugs of holy water, trays of salt rounds, an assortment of knives, handguns, shotguns and rifles. Dean grabbed a can of red spray paint and the demon knife and went to the front door. He flipped the carpet over and sprayed a devil's trap on it, then did the same to the back door's carpet. When he was done, he went around to every window and poured salt along the windowsills and every single opening in the house. When he finished, Dean put the empty bag and the spray can back into the closet and pulled out his pearl-handed handgun, the same one that he had threatened Mr. Tanner with a year ago. Tucking it out of site, Dean got his truck keys and headed out the front door, careful not to disturb the salt line.

As Dean walked to his truck, he made sure that he was aware of his surroundings, but he still was unprepared as someone grabbed him from behind. Dean fought back, but a heavy cloth was placed over his mouth and Dean was forced to breathe in the chloroform or else he would have suffocated. As Dean's eyes closed, he thought he saw Sam's face gazing at him in the blurring night.

When Dean awoke, he was lying on a very thin cot. His coat had been put underneath his head as some kind of pillow, and he had been covered with a scrawny blanket. The cot creaked as Dean sat up. He could not tell whether it was day or night, but he recognized the house he was in.

"Dean?" Dean's head slowly turned towards the voice. Attached to the voice was a person who looked a lot like Sam. Dean swallowed and slowly stood.

"Alright you demonic bitch, what kind of hallucination is this?" he growled at the mirage.

"I'm not a hallucination, Dean," said the Sam looking creature. "I'm really me. In the flesh, alive and kickin'."

"No you're not," said Dean through gritted teeth. "I watched Sam jump into Hell. I _let_ him go. This is some sick, demented twist on what I'm sure is a very theatrically planned execution. What, am I suppose to curl up on the ground and cry? You won't get that satisfaction from me."

"Dean, I know it's hard to believe, but it really is me. Look," the creature pulled a small pocket knife from his pocket and pushed back his sleeve. Making sure Dean was watching, the thing dug into its skin with the knife, causing a small trickle of blood to flow down its arm.

"Silver, Dean. And it doesn't burn," said the creature. It grabbed a jug of holy water and cracked open a salt round. Pouring the salt into a shot glass of holy water, the thing saluted Dean and tossed it back. It screwed up its face.

"That's nasty," it finally said.

"Am I dead?" asked Dean.

"No, Dean, you're alive and I'm alive…we're both alive." The creature took a step towards Dean and Dean tensed up. The creature put its hands up in a surrendered manner.

"How can I convince you that I'm really Sam?" it asked, dropping its hands.

"I don't know," said Dean. The creature walked towards Dean and put a hang on Dean's shoulder.

"I am real, Dean. What I know is that you are my big brother and you've always watched out for me. You'd do anything for me…and it was the hardest thing for you to let me jump into Hell alone."

Dean reached out and stopped the creature from coming any closer. He felt that the creature was real enough. He squeezed just to make sure.

"Sam?" he choked out.

"Yeah," said Sam. Dean pulled Sam closer in a quick jerk, enveloping Sam in a brazen hug. Sam hugged Dean back, but it felt more like a friendly pat on the back then an actually "omg-you're-back" kind of hug to Dean. Dean finally let go of Sam, holding him at arm's length.

"You look good," he said.

"Yeah," smirked Sam. Dean cocked his head. Something was different about Sam, something bad.

"What, Dean?" asked Sam. He shrugged of Dean's hand and walked around Dean. "You don't seem _that_ happy."

"Something's different," replied Dean tensely. "You're different."

"Yeah, well, Hell does stuff to you." Sam took a swig from an unmarked bottle. "You should know that." Dean said nothing and Sam sat watching Dean, a smirk still affixed on his face.

"Where am I?" asked Dean to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Well, your about two hours out of Illinois. Can't give you an exact address; there's not really a street name outside."

"So you just kidnapped me and brought me here. A phone call wouldn't do?"

"Well, I wanted to call you, but Samuel was against it."

"Samuel?" Dean's face furrowed into a frown. "You mean, Samuel Campbell."

"Funny you should jump to that conclusion, Dean," said Samuel's voice behind Dean's back. Dean turned around and found a familiar old face watching him.

"Okay, I don't know what the hell is going on, but this is not _Day of the Living Dead_." Dean backed away from both Sam and Samuel. "What the hell is happening?"

"I don't know, Dean," said Samuel.

"We've tried everything. No one knows who brought me back from Hell and Samuel back from the dead," stated Sam.

"What about Cas?" asked Dean. Samuel frowned and looked at Sam.

"The SOB won't answer," he answered simply.

"Whose Cas?" asked Samuel. Sam opened his mouth to reply, but Dean interjected.

"No one you need to concern yourself with," he said. He held Samuel's infuriated stare until the older man looked back at Sam. Sam just shrugged. With an angry huff, Samuel left the room.

Dean watched him leave, then rounded on Sam. "How long have I been here?"

"Uh..about a week," replied Sam, a bit taken aback.

"Jesus Sam!" exclaimed Dean. "You couldn't wake me before then!"

"Samuel wouldn't allow it," retaliated Sam.

"Oh, so _now_ you can follow orders. _Now_ you can do exactly what other people say! Well, bullshit, Sam! God knows what Lisa must think." Dean sat down on the cot, his head in his hands.

"Look, I know it's not easy; but maybe this is the easiest route," said Sam, carefully lowering himself next to Dean.

" 'Easiest route'?" asked Dean.

"It's more of clean break, so to speak."

"From what?"

"Well, Lisa from you." Sam shrank a little at the look on Dean's face. Dean rose, staring down his little brother.

"Take me back, Sam," he growled.

"I can't do that," said Sam. Dean wrenched Sam up by the shirt and slammed him against the wall.

"I don't care what some old ass-fart told you. You _will_ take me back to Lisa's, or I'll make Cas get his feathery ass down here and smite all of you sons-of-bitches." Dean released Sam.

"Fine," said Sam, defeated. "Fine, let's go."

Samuel had put up quite a yelling match with Dean over Dean leaving. But in the end, Dean walked out the door, not giving the old man a second glance.

"I don't give a shit if he is Mom's dad," said Dean in Sam's car. "He can't tell me what to do."

"You sound like a rebellious teenager," said Sam.

"Yeah, well, now that _you're _ the obedient one, someone's gotta do it."

It took two days for them to reach Indiana. Dean was not very happy throughout the whole trip, and he kept getting more fidgety the closer they got to Lisa's. When Sam finally pulled up in front of Lisa's house at eleven on the second night, Dean was gripping the door handle so hard that his knuckles had turned white.

"Do you want me to wait?" asked Sam.

"No," he said. He turned to Sam. "Keep in touch, though."

"Will do," said Sam. Dean got out of the car and watched Sam drive away. He took a deep breath and turned to face the house. A light shone through the living room window. His steps felt heavier and heavier as he neared the front door. He held his breath as he inserted his house key into the lock and turned it. With a soft click that echoed through Dean's ears, the door unlocked and he pushed it open slowly. He poked his head inside the door and found the kitchen and hallway empty. He eased himself inside and shut the door quietly. He rounded the corner and came face to face with Lisa.

Her eyes were red and she held a small glass of some drink that was not doubt alcoholic.

"You're back," she choked out.

"Lisa, I'm…" Lisa flung what was left in her glass in his face. Dean stopped talking and let the liquid slide off him.

"Lisa," he began again. She slapped him this time. Dean let his head turn so that she wouldn't hurt her hand. In doing so, his gaze fell on his bags stacked by the garage door. Drawing in a deep breath, Dean looked at Lisa.

"I guess I'll go?" He didn't move.

"Yes…no…I don't know." Lisa sank down onto the easy chair. "I've thought for so long about this, and I finally decided. I let Ben stay the night at a friend's house so he wouldn't see me put your things in the garage." Lisa gasped as tears fell down her face. Dean knelt in front of her, taking her suddenly small cold hands into his big warm ones.

"I'll go, only if you want me too." Dean fought back his own tears as he said these words.

"No, I'm not telling you to do anything," Lisa finally said after she slowed down her sobs.

"Lisa…" said Dean, pulling her to him. Lisa pushed against his chest and took a deep breath.

"No, Dean. You promised you wouldn't go without telling me. And…and you just disappeared. No note, no phone message…hell, you could've written on the walls for all I cared, I just wanted to know when you'd be back!"

"Lisa, think about it. Did you check the garage after you discovered I was mi…gone?"

"Yes! I looked everywhere!"

"Did you notice my truck was still in there? I wouldn't leave without a set of wheels, and I don't mean a bicycle."

Lisa sat in silence, staring at Dean with teary eyes. She suddenly and spastically threw her arms around Dean's neck, sobbing into his worn t-shirt. Dean held her tight, pulling in a few shaky breaths and letting tears roll down his face.

"God I've missed you," she sobbed.

"Me too," he whispered into her hair. "Me too." Dean held her for a little while, then slowly released her.

"Lisa, there's something I gotta tell you. Something important that I shouldn't have put off for so long."

"Yeah, I got something too."

Pulling in a deep breath, Dean slowly got down on one knee. He took her hand in both of his and looked up into her still tear filled eyes.

"Lisa, I haven't been able to…it's been hard…without S…without Sam. I…I drank too much, I stayed out too late…by all rights you should've tossed me out months ago. But I got better. And that wouldn't have happened without you. I would've dug my grave if it hadn't been for you. Lisa, the way I grew up, I've never thought of a woman as anything more than just a…pleasure for one night. I mean, the only exception would be you and Cassie. Cassie told me that it wouldn't work. She ended it before we got any more serious. But you…you let me back in after ten years. After ten years, you still opened your door to me. You let me in. You…you changed me, Lis. Changed me. Changed me for good. I can't go back to what I was because now I know what it's like. I guess…I guess I'm just asking for you to stay around for more than a year. Lisa," Dean swallowed, glancing down before snapping his head back up. "Lisa, will you marry me?"

Author's Note:

Sorry guys that it took me so long to get this up! I've been so busy with school lately and I've only just now got a breather. Hopefully I'll be able to finish Chapter 3 a little earlier. Thanks for reading.

-HappyEmo


End file.
